Hello all
I am constructing a couple of small raised beds (around 1.2m x 1m)
for our small garden; we want to experiment with growing a few
vegetables & salads etc. at home. I've dug over the area and put down
the frames, and I plan to fill them with a mixture of (cheapish)
topsoil, and compost from our home composters.

I'm guessing that it would be a good idea to plant a sort of ...
sacrificial ... crop to begin with, to ... erm, amalgamate the soil
properly and get it all settled in, kinda thing. But I'm willing to be
told I'm wrong!

Any suggestions a to a good 'first planting' to take us through to
next spring, when we should be in a position to plan our sowing a bit
better? We're on the South coast, & the beds face south, but are
shaded from the sun for part of the day.

Thanks for your thoughts
Jon N

On Wed, 12 Sep 2007 08:59:46 +0100, jkn wrote
(in article . com):

Hello all
I am constructing a couple of small raised beds (around 1.2m x 1m)
for our small garden; we want to experiment with growing a few
vegetables & salads etc. at home. I've dug over the area and put down
the frames, and I plan to fill them with a mixture of (cheapish)
topsoil, and compost from our home composters.

I'm guessing that it would be a good idea to plant a sort of ...
sacrificial ... crop to begin with, to ... erm, amalgamate the soil
properly and get it all settled in, kinda thing. But I'm willing to be
told I'm wrong!

Any suggestions a to a good 'first planting' to take us through to
next spring, when we should be in a position to plan our sowing a bit
better? We're on the South coast, & the beds face south, but are
shaded from the sun for part of the day.

You can't beat the taste of your own vegetables, picked just before you eat
them! If you don't want to use the beds for anything else during the winter,
you might consider growing a green manure. Details and information are he
http://www.organiccatalog.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=21_51.

Just dig it in in the spring.


--
Sally in Shropshire, UK
Burne-Jones/William Morris window in Shropshire church with conservation
churchyard:
http://www.whitton-stmarys.org.uk

jkn wrote:
Hello all
I am constructing a couple of small raised beds (around 1.2m x 1m)
for our small garden; we want to experiment with growing a few
vegetables & salads etc. at home. I've dug over the area and put down
the frames, and I plan to fill them with a mixture of (cheapish)
topsoil, and compost from our home composters.

I'm guessing that it would be a good idea to plant a sort of ...
sacrificial ... crop to begin with, to ... erm, amalgamate the soil
properly and get it all settled in, kinda thing. But I'm willing to be
told I'm wrong!

I didn't. Last spring I built raised beds, filled them with compost and
started sowing seeds immediately. I got some good crops.

Any suggestions a to a good 'first planting' to take us through to
next spring, when we should be in a position to plan our sowing a bit
better? We're on the South coast, & the beds face south, but are
shaded from the sun for part of the day.

You could try some late crops like lettuces, or a green manure that you can
dig in in the spring.

Hi Mary

You can't beat the taste of your own vegetables, picked just before you eat
them! If you don't want to use the beds for anything else during the winter,
you might consider growing a green manure. Details and information are he
http://www.organiccatalog.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=21_51.

Just dig it in in the spring.

Thanks for the suggestion. Originally i had thought of a 'green
compost', but then (I thought) learned that this was a different
thing.

Have you any suggestions as to what would a good thing to sow now-ish
time, from the list at the link you've given me?

Thanks a lot
Jon N

On Wed, 12 Sep 2007 12:57:02 +0100, jkn wrote
(in article .com):

Hi Mary

You can't beat the taste of your own vegetables, picked just before you eat
them! If you don't want to use the beds for anything else during the
winter,
you might consider growing a green manure. Details and information are
he
http://www.organiccatalog.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=21_51.

Just dig it in in the spring.

Thanks for the suggestion. Originally i had thought of a 'green
compost', but then (I thought) learned that this was a different
thing.

Have you any suggestions as to what would a good thing to sow now-ish
time, from the list at the link you've given me?

I'm Sally, but I forgive you :-)
You can sow Phacelia or Tares between March and September; you can keep some
for next year if your beds are not large enough.


--
Sally in Shropshire, UK
Burne-Jones/William Morris window in Shropshire church with conservation
churchyard:
http://www.whitton-stmarys.org.uk

I'm Sally, but I forgive you :-)

oops! I had someone in another newsgroup in my head as I typed that. I
had a childhood sweetheart called Sally ... ;-)

You can sow Phacelia or Tares between March and September; you can keep some
for next year if your beds are not large enough.

Thanks, that's all very useful.

Cheers
Jon N

--
Sally in Shropshire, UK
Burne-Jones/William Morris window in Shropshire church with conservation
churchyard:http://www.whitton-stmarys.org.uk